Episode 29: A Shattered Gift
Ella cried endlessly in the duke’s arms, and only after she managed to calm herself did she wipe her face with her sleeve.
“I’m… sorry. I was just so startled.”
Ella hid her confusing emotions deep inside once more.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner…”
Ella felt tears threaten to spill again at the duke’s gentle words, but she forced herself to hold them back and smiled awkwardly.
“I should be the one apologizing… You got hurt because of me.”
“This is nothing. It’ll heal soon.”
Ella tied the cloth tightly around the duke’s wounded hand.
“U-ugh…”
As Ella examined the duke’s injury, Joshua—who had been lying on the floor—woke up, groaning in pain.
“Ella, close your eyes.”
Worried that the already shaken Ella would be frightened again, the duke told her to close her eyes and approached Joshua. When Joshua saw the duke nearing, he desperately crawled toward the door to escape, but the duke stepped on his hand, stopping him.
“Aaargh!”
Joshua let out a scream from the pain, and the duke quickly covered his mouth, whispering coldly into his ear.
— If you don’t shut up, I’ll cut out your tongue and shove it into your mouth.
Hearing the low, chilling voice in his ear, Joshua fell silent, his body trembling.
The unwavering look in the duke’s eyes proved he wasn’t bluffing.
Once Joshua quieted down, the duke struck his weak point and knocked him out again. He then used the rope that had bound Ella to tie Joshua to a post inside the cabin.
“Ella, it’s over. You can open your eyes now.”
When Ella opened her eyes at the duke’s words, she saw Joshua tied to a pillar. Not wanting to see the face of the man who had tried to kill her for rejecting his feelings, she immediately turned away and looked only at the duke.
“Let’s hand Joshua over to the guards and go back now, My Lord.”
Although the duke nodded at Ella’s suggestion, he had no intention of letting Joshua rest peacefully in a prison cell.
A man who dared kidnap and attempt to kill Ella deserved a punishment so painful that death would be mercy.
“Yes. I’ll take care of it myself.”
He gave a vague reply and supported Ella out of the cabin. After only a few steps, Ella flinched at a sharp sting in her thigh.
Something was poking her through the pocket of her dress.
When she reached in and took it out, she found the little *Imago* figurine she bought from the stall—shattered so badly its original shape was unrecognizable.
“Ah—!”
“What is that?” the duke asked, looking at the broken pieces.
“It’s a figurine of a bird called an Imago… I must have broken it when I struggled earlier. They say keeping it helps you have good dreams… It was supposed to be a New Year’s gift for you, My Lord…”
Ella trailed off, thinking the duke would never accept such a cheap trinket anyway, and feeling regretful that she couldn’t even give it to him properly before it broke.
The duke froze at her words—the gift was meant for *him*.
“A gift for me?”
“Yes, but… it’s broken, so I’ll just throw it away.”
As Ella moved to discard the shards, the duke silently held out his hand.
“I’ll accept it gratefully.”
“…Pardon?”
Ella stared in confusion. Why would he want something broken beyond repair?
“How could I give you shattered pieces?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
No matter how damaged, the duke had no intention of discarding the first gift Ella ever bought for him. He gently gathered the fragments onto a handkerchief and kept them.
Ella insisted he should throw it away since it was dangerous and could cut him, but the duke only pressed his lips together and helped her walk without responding.
When they reached the edge of the forest, the duke’s horse awaited them. He carefully lifted Ella onto it and headed for the manor.
—
Upon arrival at the estate, soldiers of the Royal City Guard were gathered at the front.
“My Lord! Captain Tobias of the Capital Security Division! We received a report and were searching for you. Are you unharmed?”
Tobias saluted sharply when he saw the duke return on horseback.
“I’m fine. You may go.”
“Ah, but… we heard the wanted criminal kidnapped a maid. Do you know what happened to him?”
“I’ll hand him over myself later.”
“N-no, we can arrest him immediately—”
“I dislike repeating myself.”
The duke’s cold expression and bloodstained clothes made him even more intimidating, and Tobias flinched, backing down.
“S-sorry, sir! Then we’ll withdraw now.”
Once Tobias and the guards left, the duke turned to the exhausted Ella.
“Ella, go rest now.”
He carefully helped her down from the horse. Ella, extremely tired, nodded and headed inside. As soon as she entered, the duke summoned several knights.
“There’s a cabin deep in the Labyrinth Forest. A man is tied up there. Bring him discreetly and lock him in the basement of the annex. I will interrogate him myself.”
The knight swallowed hard, recalling the duke’s terrifying interrogations during wartime, and left for the forest. He couldn’t help but feel a hint of pity for the man awaiting the duke’s hands.
—
When Ella stepped inside, the head maid and Anna rushed to her, teary-eyed after waiting for her return until dawn.
“Ella—! Hic, Ella…”
Anna threw herself at Ella and cried like a child. Ella patted her back, waiting for her to calm.
“Anna, I’m alright. Thanks to you, I got back safely.”
“Sniff… Really? Are you sure you’re not hurt? They said that Joshua guy was a wanted criminal!”
“Yes, I’m fine. The duke came and saved me.”
Anna sighed in relief and wiped her tears. The head maid, who had been anxiously waiting as well, also relaxed and patted Ella’s shoulder.
“Thank goodness, Ella. Do you know how worried we were? For something like this to happen right outside the estate… I’ll go ask the guards to increase patrols first thing in the morning.”
“It’s alright. Joshua was caught, so it won’t happen again. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Hearing that the kidnapper was captured, the head maid finally eased her heart.
“Then that’s a relief. Ella, go rest now—you must be exhausted.”
“Yes, you should rest too. Anna, you as well.”
After they returned to their rooms, Ella dragged herself into her own, collapsed onto her bed, and fell asleep almost instantly—too drained to even change her dusty clothes.
—
The next morning, Ella woke with a slight frown as sunlight poured through the window. Birds chirped noisily outside. She stretched and felt strangely refreshed.
She stared blankly out the window for a while—until she noticed the clock read 10 a.m. and leapt up in shock.
‘I overslept—oh no!’
She washed up hurriedly, dressed, and rushed to the duke’s chambers.
“My Lord, I apologize—I overslept… I’m truly sorry.”
“No need. I told them not to wake you. But… Ella, your hair—pff!”
The duke, drinking tea at his table, burst into laughter at her disheveled hair. Ella had never once been anything but tidy and disciplined.
Her clothes were always spotless, her posture perfect. But today—caught off guard after oversleeping—she was the complete opposite.
“M-my hair?”
Flustered, Ella fumbled at her hair without a mirror, touching all the wrong spots. The duke stood and walked over.
“Let me.”
He removed her ribbon, gently combed through her tangled hair with his fingers, and tied it again—but the ribbon was crooked.
“It’s harder to make it look nice than I thought,” he muttered, dissatisfied.
Ella, her heart pounding from the unexpected closeness, quickly pulled away.
“T-thank you.”
The duke found her uncharacteristically flustered demeanor adorable and returned to his seat. On the table were scones and soup the head maid had prepared.
“Come. Eat with me.”
“Oh, that’s alright.”
When Ella declined and continued standing, the duke tapped the chair beside him—silently insisting she sit. Unable to escape his steady gaze, she reluctantly sat down.
“Eat, then go rest again.”
“But, today’s duties—”
“I’ll rest in my room today too. The maids will bring meals. You are to return to your room after eating and rest.”
Seeing he wouldn’t take no for an answer, Ella nodded and took a bite of the scone. The duke sipped his tea, watching her with quiet satisfaction.
